


Future Man

by iwasanartist



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Adjusting to 21st Century, Gen, Graveside chat, Grief/Mourning, Missing Scene, Trying to Get Over It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 13:59:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18522979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwasanartist/pseuds/iwasanartist
Summary: Between the two of them, it seemed deeply unfair that Howard was in the ground and Steve was stuck in a time he barely recognized.





	Future Man

Steve leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and stared at the cold, hard headstone. It was nothing like the Howard Stark he'd talked to two weeks ago. A still disbelieving huff bubbled up from his chest. Or 70 years ago, as it were.

"I hate it here," Steve said softly. "I hate the way it looks. The way it smells. The way people talk, I just...they should have never pulled me out of that ice." Steve's mouth was running on autopilot, words tumbling shakily out and unraveling the tightness that had been wrapped around his heart since waking up. "I hate it here, and I want to come home."

Steve winced as he pressed the heels of of his hands to eyes and felt hot tears drip onto his wrists and down his arms. For a moment, his breaths were shallow and ragged and then he didn't breathe at all, holding everything in until his head throbbed, his face reddened and his lungs ached as much as his heart.  
  
And then he let it out in a deep sigh and tried to imagine all his hurt going with it as his body relaxed, he wiped the tears away and felt the day's cool breeze on his face. He turned back to the stone.

  
  
**Howard Stark**

**1917-1991**

  
  
1991\. Steve had done the research. Looked into everyone, hoping to find anyone. That death shocked him the most. There was something almost perverse about Howard Stark being felled by something as mundane as an automobile accident nearly a decade before today's mainstream technology would be in its infancy.  
  
"You should be here," Steve said. "Of all of us, you should be here. I mean, it's not all bad. Food's pretty good, and there's plenty of it." Steve smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the thin, rectangular device SHIELD had given him."You'd like this," he said, holding it up. "This little thing is a telephone, a camera, a radio, a movie screen, a library, any daily newspaper you could want, and a mail service all wrapped up in one little package that weighs less than my mom's fruitcake." Steve turned the device over in his hands, shook his head and smiled.  
  
"It's even a flashlight."


End file.
